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low light, low maint, long-term - Juwel Rio 125

George Farmer

Founder
UKAPS Team
Joined
30 Jun 2007
Messages
7,098
Location
Cambridgeshire
Here's a recent photo of my low-maint, low light, long-term layout. It's been establishing for around 12 months now.

shadexv4.jpg


Tank

Juwel Rio 125 - 125 l. / 33 gal.

Plants

Microsorium pteropus
Anubias barteri var. nana
C. balansae
C. parva
C. wendtii 'green' and 'brown'
C. amicorum
C. undulata

Fauna

10 pentazona barbs
12 glowlight danios
10 Amano shrimp

Lighting

2 x 18w T8 - 9 hours.

Filter

Juwel internal filter (600lph)

Fertilisation

2ml Tropica+ liquid per day, 1/3 water change per week. Hard tap water loaded with NO3 and PO4.

CO2 mist via 2Kg pressurized system and Rhinox 2000 diffuser.

Tropica Plant Substrate and capsules.

Easy life!
 
Still in love with your C Balansae George.

Mine is only just now starting to grow tall (after 3 months in the tank) but it does look nice, Just jealous of the amount of leaves yours has and how lush it is growing.

Any spare ;) ;)

Andy
 
That is stunning, everytime i see any of your tanks it make me want to rip mine down and start again.
I have almost all the same plants in mine except the large what apere to be very large java ferns in the mid background? what are they, i noticed you used them on you rold scape of this tank and i think they are fantastic and just what i'm looking for.
 
Looking very good George. Pristine condition!

BTW, which Crypt is C.amicorum? Doesn't that have very bullate spade-shaped leaves?
 
Thanks guys,

Andy - Sorry, no spare balansae yet....

Dan - There's two Java ferns (Microsorium pteropus) in there, they're the main component to the midground either side of the center "path". It's taken around 12 months for them to reach that size. In high-light you could get the same in 3 months or so, depending on start size.

You may like to try out the 'narrow' variety, that is common in ADA 'scapes. A beautiful plant.

Ed - The amicorum is mixed up with the undulata on the left. It's quite similar in leaf shape but remains a bright green without crinkles.

Matt - The substrate is actually flat, the angle of the photo causes the impression, with my cropping technique... Clever aren't I!? lol

Thanks again.

Neil Hepworth, the PFK photographer is coming over soon for a pro-shoot, so I'm looking forward to that. You may even be able to see some fish then...
 
good stuff mate, i thought it was a java fern but i never saw one quite as nice and thought it must have been a different species :wideyed:
lookin forward to the pro photos.
Lovely.
 
Agree condition looks tip top, I would say this tank will get better looking, tons better than last time posted, only noticing the internal filter now, I'd say this would look good with a very white background.
 
Thanks, Corin.

Here's a pic I took the other day.

01sept07004fp0.jpg


I'm considering swapping the Crypt balanse for Cyperus helferi.

The balansae is well over 3 foot long now and blocking a lot of light (it's only 1wpg to start with), and the lower crypts are showing signs of light deprivation.

I've always like Cyperus, but I may have to add some more light to have success.

I'll see if I can blag some anyway. Worth a try...
 
You could always try giving the crypt a trim, with a difference. I've done it in the past to a few rosette forming plants with mixed success. What I do is take off all, or almost all, of the leaves and the new ones that grow back in are smaller for a while. It's worked for me with C.becketii 'Petchii' and Echinodorus cordifolius, but some plants just grow back in as large, or larger, so it might not work!

The tank does look gorgeous George and if you do decide to get rid of some of the balanse I know where some would get a good home.... :D
 
I like the way the C. balansae frames the picture, but it probably is getting a bit too much. Cyperus helferi should work a treat.

The small clearing at the front also works pretty well, but the foreground on either side would look better if the growth was denser. More leaves low down in this area would give it a busier look and give something to draw the eye to.

Once my gaze has moved away from the negative space in the centre, it is drawn around the frame of the tank by the C. balansae, and a nice, busier, small leafed foreground would cap off a great journey for the MKI eyeball perfectly. Well, IMO anyway. :lol:

Dave.
 
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